How many excuses will you make today? I got 300 of them for you to use.

I admit I have aÂ passion for military and mafia movies,Â so on any given week I could be watchingÂ The GodfatherÂ orÂ Gladiator. I have many in my circle who watch the same movies and weâ€™re always discussing some of the jewels we extract from them.

This morning I woke up thinking aboutÂ the movieÂ 300. Why? Because the last week or so I found myself engaging in a serious battle within self and actually started feeling this slight urge to make excuses for my lack of focus at certain moments. Have you experienced that lately?

I was pondering over how to convince myself that it was okay that I had yet to do all I said I would do by the end of March.Â I was concocting a mental â€œmasterpieceâ€ of excusesÂ in my head to justify why I have slowed down after coming out of the blocks so strong on January 1 of this year.

â€œHold up Brother Jesse,â€ I said to myself.

This was a critical moment.

If one wallows in this type of thinking for too long it can become an internal epidemic. You can become comfortable with that type of thinking and put yourself at ease about not moving out on what you said you would do. Excuses can come in many forms but all of them can be paralyzing to motion.

So I had toÂ take control of those thoughtsÂ immediately no matter how rough it can get sometimes. Everyone has their down moments but it is how we respond that truly shows what weâ€™re made of.

This is what caused me to think about the movieÂ 300Â and in particular the character Leonidas. That man did not care what his army of 300 soldiers was up against–it was always forward motion.Â He made no excuses and did not allow weakness in his ranks.

Just beforeÂ the last battleÂ in the movie, Arcadian Daxos was trying to convince Leonidas to quit because the opposing army was greater in size. Daxos was trembling with fear and was saying it was all over.Â Here is part of that dialogue between Daxos and Leonidas:

Leonidas:Â This battle is over when I say it is over.

Daxos:Â By morning the immortals will surround us. The hot gates will fall.

Leonidas:Â Spartans! Prepare for glory!

Daxos:Â Glory? Have you gone mad? There’s no glory to be hunted now. Only retreat or surrender… or death.

Leonidas:Â Well, that’s an easy choice for us, Arcadian. Spartans never retreat! Spartans never surrender! Go spread the word. Let every Greek assembled know the truth of this. Let each among them search his own soul. And while you’re at it, search your own.

Thatâ€™sÂ an internal battle taking place in us all. We have to search our own souls for that innate power to overcome and master obstacles. It’s there. The trials will come, the challenges will arise and the problems will be there.

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